Legislation Overview

1. Legislation Overview

2. What is Legislation? the bodies of laws enacted in a particular jurisdiction Why is it important? • governs activities by public and private entities

3. Legislation Overview  Quick and Efficient Ways to use Lexis and Westlaw  Annotated v. Unannotated Codes – Does it really matter which you use?  Uniform Laws  Bill Tracking and Legislative History

4. Quick Tips on Lexis and Westlaw • Be efficient and use the following when looking for statutes: • Popular Names Table • Boolean Searching and Locate/Find Feature • Table of Contents

5. This is Jerry. He has no chance in hell of being a Survivor so he has turned to coin collecting. He wants to know more about the Liberty Coin Act, but doesn’t know where to begin. His helpful librarian, Connie (who could be a Survivor), shows him where to look.

6. Popular Names Table

7. Popular Names Table

8. Popular Names Table

9. Text of the Statute

10. Westlaw Popular Names Table

11. Popular Names Table Lexis Popular Names Table • search full-text of table or TOC • browse table of contents Westlaw Popular Names Table • Contains browse feature only • Provides parallel table for Public Law section to USC section.

12. Jerry reads the statute and is amazed at the detail provided on how coins are made. It practically provides instructions so that he can make the coins himself. Knowing that he won’t win his million on Survivor, he creates a mold for the $50 gold coin and begins producing imitation pieces. Jerry’s new line of work is short-lived. His house is raided and law enforcement officials recover the molds and thousands of counterfeit coins. One of the many charges brought against Jerry is possessing counterfeit molds for coins. Is this a viable charge and if so what is the penalty?

13. Keyword Searching

14. Locate

16. 18 USCA §487 Making or possessing counterfeit dies for coins

17. Current through P.L. 109-211 approved March 24, 2006

18. On the day of the raid, the police officer executing the warrant had a ride along, a community citizen accompanying him. The citizen entered Jerry’s home and it was the citizen served the warrant and found the molds, not the officer. Jerry has hired an attorney to defend him. Jerry’s attorney believes that since the citizen entered Jerry’s home and located the molds, the search warrant is invalid. Is there a statute that supports this claim?

20. 18 USCS §3105 Persons authorized to serve search warrant

21. Text of Statute

22. Legislation Overview   Quick and Efficient Ways to use Lexis and Westlaw  Annotated v. Unannotated Codes  Uniform Laws  Bill Tracking and Legislative History

23. Annotated v. Unannotated Codes • Advantages of Annotated Code • Broader search terms • Example: gay marriage • Annotations • Disadvantages of Annotated Code • Can be too broad at times • Example: search warrants

24. United States Code (Unannotated)

25. USCA (Annotated Code)

28. Legislation Overview  Quick and Efficient Ways to use Lexis and Westlaw  Annotated v. Unannotated Codes  Uniform Laws  Bill Tracking and Legislative History  

29. Challenge The following are examples of what? Ooh! I know! I know!

30. UCITA URLTA ULPA UGMA UFTA UCC UPC

31. What are uniform laws? • Unofficial laws proposed as legislation to be adopted by all states. Who creates them? • National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws • Created over 200 uniform laws. 100 have been adopted by at least 1 state.

32. Where can you find Uniform Laws? • Uniform Laws Annotated • Availability • Library – Law Core KF165 .A6 1968 • Westlaw - Database Identifier: ULA • Access Points • Directory of Uniform Acts • Jurisdiction Tables • Index • Features • Table of Jurisdictions • Historical Notes • Commission’s Notes • Law Review and Journal Commentaries • Library References – CJS, Key Number & Topic, and Westlaw references • Court Decisions • Updated annually with pocket parts

33. Directory of Uniform Acts

34. Jurisdiction Tables

35. Subject Index

36. Table of Jurisdictions

37. Annotations

38. Where can you find Uniform Laws? • National Conference on Uniform State Laws http://www.nccusl.org/Update/

39. Where can you find Uniform Laws? • NCCUSL Drafts of Uniform and Model Acts http://www.law.upenn.edu/bll/ulc/ulc_frame.htm

40. Where can you find uniform laws? • State codes for those states adopting it • Arizona Revised Statutes Index Heading: “Uniform Laws” Where can you find articles about uniform laws? • LegalTrac • Subject Heading: “Uniform State Laws” or by name of uniform law • Index to Legal Periodicals (ILP) • Subject Heading: “Uniform Laws” or by name of uniform law (to a lesser extent than Legaltrac)

41. Legislation Overview  Quick and Efficient Ways to use Lexis and Westlaw  Annotated v. Unannotated Codes  Uniform Laws  Bill Tracking and Legislative History   

42. What is Legislative History and Bill Tracking? • Documents relating to the passage or rejection of a proposed law • Used to define legislative intent • Can be very time consuming • Results may be ambiguous

43. Components of Legislative History • Bill (in all its variations) • Committee hearings • Committee reports • Congressional debates • Presidential approval or veto message

44. Compiled Legislative Histories • Sources of Compiled Legislative Histories • Federal Legislative Histories: an Annotated Bibliography and Index to Officially Published Sources • Union List of Legislative Histories

45. Getting Started • For Legislative History • Identify the statute • Locate public law numbers for original enactment and pertinent amendments • For Bill Tracking • Identify the bill number

46. Congressional Universe

47. Congressional Universe

48. Congressional Universe

49. Congressional Universe

50. Congressional Universe Links to the Congressional Debates